Stiffening material for brassieres and similar body confining garments



Dec. 29, 1964 J. J. CHISHOLM 3,163,167

STIFFENING MATERIAL FOR BRASSIERES AND SIMILAR BODY CONFINING GARMENTS Filed April 5, 1963 INVENTOR JOHN J. CHISHOLM ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,163,167 STIFFENLJG MATERiAL FER BRASSIERES AND SIMILAR BGDY CONFINENG GARMENT John J. Chisholm, Worcester, Mass., assignor to David Clark Company Incorporated, Worcester, Mass, a

corporation of Massachusetts Filed Apr. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 270,371 4 Claims. (til. 128-477) This is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 843,866, filed October 1, 1959, and now abandoned.

This invention relates to a new and improved stiffening material particularly adapted for body-confining or molding garments such as corsets and brassieres, and more particularly to a new and improved type of support for stiffening and for providing essentially a relatively easy and simple bending in one direction as generally in the form of a surface of a cylinder but being stiffened so as to be relatively resistant to bending in a direction at right angles thereto; the provision of stiffening material for such garments which is inexpensive to manufacture but is easy to use and apply and which may be sewn through easily in the manufacture of the garment; and the provision of a stiffening material as above described which is made of plastic and is sanitary, waterproof and easily cleaned.

One of the main characteristics of the new plastic stiffening material is that it is very easy and inexpensive to manufacture but still provides the wearer with an efiicient and comfortable uplift stiffening or strengthening material, e.g., for the bust cups of brassieres, this plastic material being grooved at one side surface only thereof so that it is essentially ribbed and therefore flexible in one direction but relatively stiif in a direction at 90 to the direction of bending, whereby the novel stiffening material is very advantageously used for body confining and molding.

The invention includes the provision of a sanitary plastic stiffening material comprising a sheet of thermoplastic which is relatively thin and has a series of parallel narrow depressions or grooves thereon at one side only thereof, said depressions or grooves extending almost but not quite all they way through the sheet of material from one side surface to the other, dividing the sheet into a series of outstanding parallel ribs wherein the ribs are wider than the grooves and both the ribs and the grooves are flat on their extreme surfaces, i.e., the ribs are flat at the apices thereof and the grooves are flat in the bottom portions thereof that form webs between the grooves whereby the stiffening material is divided into a plurality of relatively stiff rib-like members which however together present substantially a flat surface although interspersed with grooves whereas the opposite side surface of the stiffening material is substantially coplanar throughout the entire extent thereof, the fiat ribs and flat groove webs facilitating sewing.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a brassiere which is provided with a pair of bust cups shaped to the contour of the body and having in the lower portion thereof a double thickness of fabric or similar material forming the lower part of the cup, at substantially lunar-shaped piece of the stiifening material above described being inserted between the two layers of material and sewn thereto, i.e., to both layers thereof about the edges of the stiffening material, the stiffening material having ribs and grooves as aforesaid extending transversely of the length of the lunar-shaped piece, thus resisting bending downwardly under pressure from the bust in the cup and supporting the same and giving a certain degree of uplift thereto while at the same time providing for bending of the stiffening material in a direction longitudinally of the lunar-shaped stiffening piece, this 3,163,167 Patented Dec. 29, 1964 ice bending being substantially unresisted by the stiffening material, the stiffening material being held in place by stitching which extends directly through the same and to the two layers at the lower portion of the brassiere as aforesaid.

The invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly set forth in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a plan View showing a form of stiffening piece made according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale illustrating the material of which the stiffener of FIG. 1 is formed, and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view with parts cut away illustrating a brassiere construction utilizing the stiffener of the present invention.

In carrying out the present invention, the stifiening material shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is very easily and inexpensively manufactured. Starting with a sheet of molded, cast, rolled or poured thermoplastic material of any suitable kind or description, the sheet is indented or grooved along parallel lines which are indicated at 10. These indentations do not remove any material and extend substantially from the side surface indicated at 12 to the other side surface indicated at 14. These grooves can be made by providing a series of tools such as rollers, wheels or blades, which may be heated, and then pressing or rolling the tools across the sheet forming the grooves 10 according to the degree of heat used, the fusing point of the plastic, and the contour of the tools.

The tools do not sever any part of the sheet, merely forming the grooves 10, and it will be observed that the grooves 10 are substantially flat in the bottom portior'is or webs thereof and the side walls rise upwardly along inclines terminating in the flat tops 16 of the ribs which appear at the surface 12 of the sheet.

The surface at 14 is substantially coplanar and flattened. The heat used in forming the grooves 10 is found to draw the material slightly, making small indentations 18, but these indentations are so slight as to be capable of being disregarded for all purposes. I

The effect of this construction is that a plastic sheet is formed which is ribbed in parallel lines at one surface thereof and indented between the ribs, whereas the opposite surface thereof is substantially smooth. The ribs 12 of course resist bending in a direction alongthe lengths thereof but the webs in the bottoms of the grooves 10 are so thin as to fail to present substantially any appreciable resistance to bending in a direction at to the lengths of the ribs.

At the same time when the stiffening material is used in a body-confining garment or the like, it is positioned so that the outstanding ribs extend outwardly away from the body of the user, thus impressing no discomfort on the flesh of the user; the smooth surface at 14 is directed toward the body of the user and provides a surface which is found to be comfortable to the wearer, presenting no problem in this regard as would ribs which are unconnected, thus presenting uncomfortable gaps between, or ribs which are directed against the person of the user.

In FIG. 1 there is shown a cut-out lunar-shaped uplift stiffening member for a brassiere generally indicated by the reference numeral 29. The ribs and grooves are shown as extending transversely of this member and it will therefore be appreciated that the lunar-shaped member 2i) can bend easily on lines which are transverse of the length thereof but that the ribs which extend transverseiy tend to resist bending along lines parallel to the length of the lunar-shaped member 20. Scallops 22 are provided to give a maximum of support to the bust with an-attendant maximum-of-comfort. These scallops form a-central-point24for instance whichnnderlies the center of the breast and the brassiere cup. It has been found that this construction provides the most comfort with the highest 'degreewf support.

.Referring now to FIG. 3 there is shown a brassiere in =which-the-novelstiffener is "incorporated. This bras- =siere comprises in general the usual band .26 which extends about the body, a connecting diaphragm portion28 of :moreor less-usual construction and thet'wo .cup .members-30 which are v-generally'similar. Each cup member comprises =-wl1at 'amountsto :an upper portion 32 which can be-wofva single layer of materialand generally from the horizontal center of the cup downwardly a double portion 3'4'c'omprising'an outer fabric member36 and an inner fabric member38 secured together at the edges thereof, forming a-=-unitary member for the support of the breast and 1 sewed together along lines approximately as at 40 so that the cup shape is provided. The position of the stiffenenZO is clearly shown in outline and this stiffener is located between the-two layers 36 and 38 which go to make up the lower portion of the respective cups 34.

*In-thepreferred embodiment of the invention, a stitched seam is made "at-42 andthe thread of the seam passes through la-yer136 and layer 38 and also directly through thetpanelor sheet of stiffening material 24 lying between the same asris indicated in the broken away-areas in FIG. 3, so that the lunar-shaped stiffening panel is securely positioned -.bet-ween the double fabric portions of the member 34fby -the line of-stitching 42 extending on a curve through the-panel and adjacent to the lower curved edge thereof. The needle sews easilythrough the flat webs ofthe grooves, and can-penetrate the ribs also because the-point'of the'needle does :not tend to slip off the flat tops 16 as-would bethe case werethe ribs not flat-topped.

At the opposite edge the panelcan also be sewn in like manner along the scalloped-edge thereof but also it ispossible tosew in a-scallop shape-along theseam 44 without the necessity ofgpassing through the plastic panel, this action-thenwformingia fitted pocket or envelope according tot the :shape' ofi the plasticstiffening membert When the stiffening material-according to the present invention isus'edima garment such as a body-holding or supporting member in the brassiere as shown, a maximum :of sL Pport-and'uplift'to-the bust is provided at the under sidefthereof: but at thesame-timeamaximum of comfort is also provided. The;;;plastic-stiffening material is not extensible and limits: stretch ofthe fabric'of the garment so -as to aid in; providing .and holding its shape, and it will be. seen of course that the stiffening material can easily able advance in this regard is obtained by the use of this invention.

Of course the stiffener need not be in the exact shape shown in the drawings and in some cases it has been found that more rounded shapes can also be utilized as well as the scalloped edge shown.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. An uplift brassiere comprising a body-encircling member and a pair of bust cups secured with relation thereto, each bust cup comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion comprising essentially a single piece of flexible material, the lower portion comprising two layers of flexible material, the two layers of the lower portion of the bust cup being secured to the single piece of the upper portion of the bust cup along a line approximately midway between the top edge and the lower edge of the bust cup, and a stiffening element located adjacent the lower edge of the lower bust cup portion between the two layers thereof. and being wholly concealed thereby, said stiffening element comprising a generally flat one-piece continuous thermoplastic sheet of lunar shape having a series ofalternate parallel ribs and grooves along one side surface only thereof, the opposite surface being substantially smooth, said ribs being of uniform thickness and being substantially flat, said stiffening element being flexible on lines parallel to the ribs and providing a body-conforming member relatively stiff in adirectionat right angles to the lengths of the ribs, said stiffening element extending substantially throughout the length of the lower edge of the lower portion of said bust cup and terminating short of the line of seeurement of the upper portion of the bust cup to the lower portion of the bust cup.

2. The brassiere of claim 1 including a line of stitching extending through both layers of the lower portion of the bust cup and also through the interposed plastic stiffening element.

3. 'The brassiere of claim 1 including a line of stitching extending through both layers of the lower portion of the bust cup and also through the interposed plastic stiffening element, said line of stitching extending along the lower edge of saidstifiening element slightly inwardly from the lower edge so that the stiffening element is securely fastened with respect to the bust cup.

4. The brassiere of claim 1 including a line of stitching through the two layers forming the lower portion of the ,bust cup, said line of stitching following the outline vof the stiffening element, the latter having along this line a scalloped edge conformation including a central peak located in line with the center of the bust cup, said stitching forming a pocket closelyreceiving and engaging the scalloped edge of said element.

References Qited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 231,894 9/80 Bray 2-258 2,915,067 12/59 Bracht 128477 LGUISRv PRINCE, Primary Examiner.

ADELE M. EAGER, Examiner. 

1. AN UPLIFT BRASSIERE COMPRISING A BODY-ENCIRCLING MEMBER AND A PAIR OF BUST CUPS SECURED WITH RELATION THERETO, EACH BUST CUP COMPRISING AN UPPER PORTION AND A LOWER PORTION, THE UPPER PORTION COMPRISING ESSENTIALLY A SINGLE PIECE OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL, THE LOWER PORTION COMPRISING TWO LAYERS OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL, THE TWO LAYERS OF THE LOWER PORTION OF THE BUST CUP BEING SECURED TO THE SINGLE PIECE OF THE UPPER PORTION OF THE BUST CUP ALONG A LINE APPROXIMATELY MIDWAY BETWEEN THE TOP EDGE AND THE LOWER EDGE OF THE BUST CUP, AND A STIFFENING ELEMENT LOCATED ADJACENT THE LOWER EDGE OF THE LOWER BUST CUP PORTION BETWEEN THE TWO LAYERS THEREOF AND BEING WHOLLY CONCEALED THEREBY, SAID STIFFENING ELEMENT COMPRISING A GENERALLY FLAT ONE-PIECE CONTINUOUS THERMOPLASTIC SHEET OF LUNAR SHAPE HAVING A SERIES OF ALTERNATE PARALLEL RIBS AND GROOVES ALONG ONE SIDE SURFACE ONLY THEREOF, THE OPPOSITE SURFACE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SMOOTH, SAID RIBS BEING OF UNIFORM THICKNESS AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT, SAID STIFFENING ELEMENT BEING FLEXIBLE ON LINES PARALLEL TO THE RIBS AND PROVIDING A BODY-CONFORMING MEMBER RELATIVELY STIFF IN A DIRECTION AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE LENGTHS OF THE RIBS, SAID STIFFENING ELEMENT EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF THE LOWER EDGE OF THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID BUST CUP AND TERMINATING SHORT OF THE LINE OF SECUREMENT OF THE UPPER PORTION OF THE BUST CUP TO THE LOWER PORTION OF THE BUST CUP. 